The lowdown on content management tools

What is it? Web content management software lets users publish documents and other material to the Web while keeping track of the data and maintaining control over format, rules and regulations.

Why do I need it? With government functions and services increasingly going online, you need a way to manage Web sites, portals, and all the information and transactions they contain.

What are the caveats? Be prepared for the time and expense of consolidating, importing, and converting existing'and typically multiformat'content repositories.

Must-know info? Be sure to figure out whether you need a single-vendor solution of several products, or a mix of connected, best-of-breed products. Analysts and vendors alike say no single product is likely to meet all your needs. And carefully gauge your scalability demands'some workgroup products don't scale well beyond 20 users.